Orange
Orange County’s job market is tight and getting tighter Comments Off on Orange County’s job market is tight and getting tighter
Orange County job-seekers poured into the market last month in the wake of high school and college graduations, boosting the size of the county’s labor force — but also its unemployment rate.
Joblessness ticked up to 3.8 percent from 3.1 percent in May, a rise that reflected a larger number of people looking for work.
However, while the county saw a seasonal jump of 6,000 net new jobs last month, for a total of 1,594,900, its year-over-year payroll growth stood at a modest 1.2 percent — a rise of 19,000 positions.
“Orange County’s economy has slowed quite a bit,” said Christopher Thornberg, a founder of Beacon Economics, a Southern California research firm. “Last year, the county added 36,000 jobs from June to June, and the year before it was 47,000.”
California is also seeing “a big slowdown,” he added. “In the past, we’ve been able to grow on the job front because there was an excess supply of workers. That is gone. Last year, the state added 150,000 jobs from December to June. This year, we are at 65,000.”
Last month, California actually lost 1,400 jobs while year-over-year payrolls grew 1.6 percent. The state’s jobless rate was 4.7 percent, the same as in May.
The U.S. unemployment rate stood at 4.4 percent in June.
Thornberg and other experts place much of the blame for slowing growth on California’s severe housing shortage. High prices, due to a lack of supply, are discouraging workers from moving to the state and are spurring businesses to expand elsewhere to find employees, they say.
“In Orange County and in California, we are in a tight labor market and it is only getting tighter,” said Genine Wilson, a regional vice president at the staffing firm Kelly Services.
“There are more job openings than there are employees. The challenge for employers is to find qualified talent, given the cost of living. Employers are not paying enough to attract skilled workers to Orange County.”
Mid-tier positions are particularly hard to fill, she added. “It is difficult to relocate someone from Florida, say, where they can live comfortably in a three-bedroom house, as opposed to living in a one-bedroom apartment here.”
Here are year-over-year trends within the county’s major job sectors:
–Professional and business services grew to 300,900, adding 8,200 positions, the most of any category. But more than 90 percent of the jobs were in administrative and support services, including temporary workers.
–Leisure and hospitality, including positions at hotels and restaurants, grew to 218,600, with 3,300 more jobs.
–Healthcare and social services employed 177,000, a loss of 300 jobs.
–Government jobs grew to 164,100, with an increase of 1,200, mostly public school teachers.
–Manufacturing declined to 153,700, with a loss of 1,800 jobs as companies continued to automate and move operations to less expensive labor markets.
–Retail jobs dropped to 148,300, with a loss of 1,400 positions, as the growth of online shopping led to the closing of brick-and-mortar stores.
–Construction grew to 100,700, adding 4,300 jobs, mostly in specialty trades.
–Financial activities grew by 600 jobs to 117,300.
Armed man sought in robbery of a Del Taco in Orange Comments Off on Armed man sought in robbery of a Del Taco in Orange
ORANGE — Police searched Thursday night for a man suspected of robbing a Del Taco of an undisclosed amount of cash, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 9:20 p.m. on July 20 at 1301 E. Katella Ave., Orange Police Department Lt. Jennifer Amat said.
The suspect entered the restaurant, displayed a handgun and demanded money from a cashier, Amat said.
The man fled the restaurant with cash and it is unknown if he left on foot or got into a vehicle, authorities said.
No injuries were reported and a detailed description of the suspect was not available.
Retail-restaurant roundup: In-N-Out Burger adding 2 O.C. locations; Sugar Paper opens in Newport Beach Comments Off on Retail-restaurant roundup: In-N-Out Burger adding 2 O.C. locations; Sugar Paper opens in Newport Beach
Here’s a roundup of restaurant and retail news from across Orange County.
In-N-Out Burger: The beloved burger joint has plans to add two more Orange County locations including one on an empty Santa Ana lot that has triggered some controversy among neighbors.
A flyer protesting an In-N-Out proposed at the corner of 17th Street and Tustin Avenue in Santa Ana has been circulating on Facebook. The flyer, which has been distributed to area residents, said the fast-food project will cause “noise, traffic and odors.” (The flyer also says a Chick-fil-A is planned for the site. But a spokeswoman for Chick-fil-A told the Register this week that the chain does “not currently have any new locations to confirm.”)
But, In-N-Out is definitely in play.
Carl Arena, vice president of development for Irvine-based In-N-Out, said the Santa Ana restaurant is still in the early phase of development.
“We do hope to open a restaurant there in the future. That said, it is still very early in the development application process,” he said.
He did not comment on the flyer, which was posted on a community Facebook forum targeting Orange residents. Most of the commentators said they didn’t have a problem with the new development. In fact, many rejoiced at the ability to order a Double Double closer to home.
“My husband and I are pretty stoked for this,” wrote one woman who said she lives nearby.
The busy corner, near the (55) freeway, is a few miles south of Orange. A gas station, a Starbucks with a drive-through and a Claim Jumper, occupy the other three corners.
Other locals said any development is long overdue as the blighted lot has been empty for years. “It will be great for that intersection. The area has been idle for years,” one person wrote.
If approved, and after construction begins, Arena said it will take at least four to five months to build.
“There is still quite a bit of work to be done before we can even set a time to begin construction. Because it is still so early in the process, it would be premature to comment on a timeline or if we will even achieve a development approval,” he said.
Arena said the chain will open its next Orange County restaurant in early 2018 in La Habra.
At nearly 4,000-square-feet, the restaurant will take up two lots at 1761 W. Whittier Blvd. It will have a patio and drive-through lane that can accommodate 17 vehicles.
The 325-unit chain, founded in Baldwin Park in 1948, operates 25 restaurants in Orange County. All restaurants are company owned.
Sugar Paper Los Angeles: The stationery store opened a location at Lido Marina Village Sunday, July 16. The first 50 visitors will receive a $25 gift card to use at the location.
It is the stationery store’s second brick and mortar location. Its other store is in Brentwood.
“This feels like a natural next step for the brand as I grew up in Orange County and spent many summers sailing in Newport Harbor. The ambiance of Lido Marina Village aligns perfectly with the Sugar Paper customer. We couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce Newport Beach to our brand,” brand co-founder Chelsea Shukov said in a statement.
She founded the brand with Jamie Grobecker in 2003.
The Newport Beach store will have the full line of Sugar Paper goods including stationery albums. It will also have an in-store monogramming station.
It is the first time the brand is offering same-day monogramming. Monogramming will be $15 per item.
The Lido Marina Village store is located at 3431 Via Oporto, Suite 105.
Lido Marina Village has been revitalized in the past year, adding a number of luxe brands and restaurants.
It was first developed in 1971 as a shopping village with water views. It was restored by DJM Capital Partners, the developer behind Pacific City in Huntington Beach.
Recent openings include restaurant Lido Bottle Works, gift store Yolk and home design store Bixby & Ball.
With the opening of Sugar Paper, 32 stores and restaurants have opened. The center is now roughly 95 percent leased.
The Habit Burger Grill: The burger restaurant is opening a new restaurant in Mission Viejo off the 5 freeway at Crown Valley, near the Shops at Mission Viejo. The Habit said the restaurant will open in 2018.
Oggi’s Pizza Express: The location at the Village at Orange has closed. The fast casual restaurant was the San Clemente-based pizza chain’s attempt to jump into the fray of build-your-own pizza chains. Oggi’s operates mostly full-service pizza and sports bars. But it developed the build-your-own pizza concept a few years ago in San Diego to compete with trendy new brands such as Pieology and Blaze Pizza.
When the Orange location was being built a few years ago, Oggi’s told the Register that the concept is not replacing the company’s sit-down sports bars, frequented primarily by diners ages 25 to 54. The new division instead keeps costs down with less staff while casting a wider net that reaches a younger generation.
Oggi’s did not immediately return a request for comment on the closure in Orange.
1888 Center: The nonprofit cultural center focused on the arts in Orange County is opening in Old Towne Orange Thursday, July 27.
The center will have a performance space, bookstore, art exhibits and café serving Contra Coffee & Tea drinks. Contra sells nitro cold brew coffee and teas.
The weekly Orange Home Grown Farmers and Artisans Market will open a second office in 1888 for possibly hosting pop-up farmers’ market events.
“It’s a nonprofit dedicated to building community. We’re anchored in storytelling of the past, present and future,” founder Kevin Staniec said. “Our goal is to engage and provide opportunities for people to be creative.”
Staniec said that he wanted to have a cultural center for the nonprofit to help with its focus on “life-long learning.”
“The heart of what we do is our programs. We will have many events and programs. Some will be free and open to the community, others will have a ticket price. All will be recorded for podcasts so people around the world have access,” he added.
The center will have two walls dedicated to contemporary and historical exhibitions.
Staniec is working with partners to take the center to other parts of Orange County as well.
To celebrate its opening, the center has a handful of events planned.
On Thursday, July 27 at 7 p.m. there will be a free reception for the Literary Destinations exhibit by artist Chantal deFelice.
Friday, July 28 at 7 p.m. there will be a music series with live performances and discussions with local music groups. Tickets cost $10.
Saturday, July 29 at 1 p.m. there will be a history exhibition created by a partnership with the Orange Public Library & History Center and the Orange Community Historical Society. The event is free.
Sunday, July 30 at 7 p.m. there will be a podcast recording of The How The Why with Samantha Dunn, the executive editor of Coast Magazine, a publication of SCNG. Tickets are $10.
The center is at 115 North Orange St., in the Elks Lodge building. It is taking over a former shoe store.
Staniec said he chose the location for its history. In the early 1900s it was home to a printing press, he said.
1888, which is the year Orange was incorporated, currently has 10 employees. Staniec said more will be added once the center opens.
Vehicle launches through sound wall off 55 freeway, driver arrested on suspicion of DUI Comments Off on Vehicle launches through sound wall off 55 freeway, driver arrested on suspicion of DUI
ORANGE The driver of a vehicle that launched through a freeway sound wall and landed in a local park early Sunday was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, California Highway Patrol officials said.
The incident was first reported to the CHP at 12:25 a.m., when witnesses saw the car driving northbound near Katella Ave, a CHP dispatcher said.
The man driving the vehicle lost control and plowed through the wall landing at Handy Park, said Orange police Lt. Ray Winick.
CHP officers and firefighter paramedics from Orange Fire arrived at the scene and found that the man got out of the car himself, a dispatcher with the Orange Fire Department said.
He was taken to Orange County Global Medical Center and treated. He was later arrested there on suspicion of drunken driving, CHP officials said.
The driver’s name and type of vehicle were not immediately available.
What did Dad teach you? Comments Off on What did Dad teach you?
Loving, goofy, protective; maybe stern when necessary; maybe not.
Fathers: Some can be role models, pillars of strength and assurance (or, if not, as close as they can get) in times of need.
Today, Father’s Day, we offer a few stories of Orange County dads and what they taught their kids.
Some led by example, others by words. But they all have one thing in common:
They were there.
Seven
Melissa Barrera struggled to find words to describe the sacrifices her father, a solo parent, made for his kids — all seven.
With her parents already split, Barrera and her siblings were left in a tough spot after their mother chose to leave the kids, too. For one thing, their father, Richard Rodriguez, didn’t have much money.
But he came back to his kids, opened a carpet-laying business, and rented a one-bedroom apartment in Stanton. It was all he could afford at the time.
After working two months straight, he found a four-bedroom home to rent.
As they grew he worked a lot, but he wasn’t absent.
“He would make sure we had what we needed,” said Barrera, 40, who lives in Orange. “Before going to work, he would do our laundry. He was the first one up and the last one to bed.”
Being a single dad with daughters, Rodriguez learned a lot during their teenage years.
“Hitting puberty wasn’t easy,” Barrera said. “There were really no women that we looked up to.”
Somehow, Rodriguez, now 67, was able to make time for the family to take trips to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm.
“We would make sandwiches in the car,” Barrera said.
Rodriguez’ ability to maintain his business, which he still operates, and make time for his children while raising them on his own, was empowering, said Barrera. She’s now a mother of five..
“You can make it on your own and be a good parent,” she said. “He just showed me that it didn’t take a lot… You just need to show that you’re there for them.”
Birthday Dad
Finally, at age 25, Sharon Todd had someone she could look up to.
That’s when Stephen Connor became Sharon Todd’s stepfather. In the 41 years since then, he’s taught Todd, of Orange, to be honest, kind and respectful — all while making her mother the happiest person on earth. Todd said her biological father left when she was 9, after her parents divorced. So Connor offered something different; a father figure.
Todd, now 66, looks up to Connor because of his honest, hard-working nature. Connor served as a Lieutenant in the Army during World War II and, upon his return to civilian life, spent 50 years working as a pharmacist. Today is his 98th birthday.
“He is such an honest person,” Todd said. “He has instilled in me the (ideal) of not judging other people, even though I do sometimes… To accept people as they are.”
Connor has always had a passion for people, and for having fun, Todd said. And even though it’s lower on the list of life lessons she’s picked up from Connor, his philosophy of having scotch at happy hour and wine at dinner is also something she’s taken to heart.
Critically, any time Todd needed a little assistance, Connor found a way to make it happen.
“The love he has shown us, when he didn’t have to…it means everything,” she said. “I have a dad. I’ve had a dad for 41 years.”
At 98, Connor needs some assistance getting around. Todd is more than willing to provide for him.
“It’s hard to explain what (Connor) means to me, because I never really knew my dad,” she said. “To have someone like this come into my life and accept…all of us for who we are and welcome us with open arms, it mean everything to my siblings and me.”
Love helps
Sometimes, just the way a father carries himself can be big.
Erica Brewer-Crandall, of Huntington Beach, grew up watching her father, Tollie Ronald Brewer, show his love through passion and presence.
Brewer passed away three years ago, at 73, but he left a legacy for his four daughters.
“He always taught me to love myself,” Brewer-Crandall said. “He loved my mom dearly, and everybody knew that, and would always comment on how supportive he was.”
Brewer-Crandall, 38, is married and has a son, Elijah. She used her father as an example for the type man she wanted as her husband.
“My mom always would say I married someone similar to my father,” she said.
Strongman
It should have been one of the best moments of Angela Claro’s life; the birth of her third child.
Instead, she spent much of the next few weeks in a psychiatric hospital, nearly consumed by postpartum depression.
Upon her return home from Riverside Regional Center, Claro received strength from a regular visitor; a 60-something man who had spent years toiling in Mexican strawberry fields and overcoming alcohol abuse. That man, described as nonreligious, sat at her bedside reading the Bible.
Her father.
Becoming the man who could give a daughter strength required Roberto Claro to make some adjustments. He also prepped for a new role — grandfather to Claro’s three kids.
It’s given Angela Claro a new vision of her father.
“I don’t see his errors anymore. I just see a good guy who still gives me strength.”
Add your own:
What did your Dad teach you? Add it in the comments section.
Villa Park High Football Schedule 2017 0
by Barbara • Orange on August 22, 2017
Time for Villa Park football! Go Spartans
Game Details – @ Redondo Union H.S.
The Villa Park varsity football team has an away non-conference game @ Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, CA) on Friday, September 1 @ 7p.
Live Reporting provided by:
Live on NFHS Network!
Recap: Villa Park vs. El Modena 2016
Recap: Villa Park vs. El Dorado 2016
Recap: Villa Park vs. Brea Olinda 2016
Recap: Villa Park vs. Foothill 2016
Recap: Villa Park vs. Canyon 2016
Recap: Villa Park vs. Yorba Linda 2016
Schedule Legend